A Dragon by The Tail
by kkcaleb13
Summary: Lucy finds herself on a job looking for a lost wizard, but is that all there is to it? The newfound dragon slayer of the sound dragon might have something to say about that. But the biggest mystery of all is the client, who refuses to reveal themselves until the last moment. Why are Lucy's spirits acting strange? Only one way to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL, SO THIS STORY IS PURELY FOR ENJOYMENT, NO MATTER HOW COOL IT MAY BE, ONLY A HARDCORE FAN WHO READS FANFIC LIKE A CHAMP WOULD KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IF YOU TRIED TO BRING IT UP FOR A DISCUSSION OF THE SHOW. THAT SAID, PLEASE ENJOY!**

* * *

Lucy sighed, for once, she had managed to come home without being surprised by someone that had broken into her house for whatever reason. She had even gotten into her own bed and was ready to fall asleep, with some small glimmer of hope she could sleep peacefully.

That hope was dashed as she heard a horrible scream which jolted her wide awake. It was so loud and terrible that she was sure it couldn't have been her imagination, yet she couldn't identify where it had come from. Once she had finishher looking around her room, she sighed as she thought to herself, _"It's official, I caught Natsu's crazy…"_

Without any further interruptions, she decided the best thing she could do was ignore it and go to sleep.

* * *

"Damn right, you cold, naked pervert!", Natsu shouted as he and Grey butted heads, "I'm taking on this job solo!"

Grey looked irritated in his boxers, "You fire-sucking idiot! You'll be dead before you even get there!"

Lucy tried to see what they were fighting over, "What's up, guys?"

Natsu took the lead, "This moron can't accept the fact that I'm taking on an S-rank job without him!"

Grey held his fist up, "Like I care what job you take! Just don't come crying to me when you get your butt kicked!"

Lucy took the flier as they began duking it out, "Please find someone for me. Have no leads to follow. Will pay… ten million jewels?!"

Natsu bared his fangs, "That's right! Me and Happy are gonna get enough grub money to last a whole two months!"

Happy raised his paw, "Aye, sir!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "But Natsu, it's not like you to take a job alone, what's the deal?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head, "Well… I still kinda owe you that money from a couple weeks ago, so I figured I would pay you back"

Lucy remembered the million jewels they'd blown on food without asking her permission, "Oh, yeah. Why not just have me go with you?"

"It's hard to say I paid you back if I make you pitch in"

"Then you can just give me what you owe me from your share"

"But… what about money for food…?"

Grey headbutted Natsu, "You moron! You won't be able to eat if you're dead! And if I'm not the one kicking your butt, it's not as fun to watch!"

As they began wrestling, Erza quickly pulled them apart, "Both of you, stop it. We'll all go, and Natsu will repay his debt"

As Erza dragged them behind her, Lucy shuddered, _"I wonder who the client is…"_

* * *

When they reached the requested meeting point, Lucy began sweating, "Why the heck are we at MY house?!"

Grey rubbed his chin, "It doesn't make much sense…"

Erza looked at the flier again, "This is where we are supposed to meet the client"

"That's right", everyone turned to see a figure in a cloak that was speaking with a deep voice, "Lucy of Fairy Tail… I'm glad to see you accepted my request"

"M-Me?", she pointed to herself.

"Yes, I specifically asked for you on the flier, near the bottom. I need you to find someone for me, and you're the only person for the job"

"W-Why me?"

"A celestial wizard is required for this task, and you're the best there is. Track down Dust or Light, whichever you find first, and bring him to me. Do this, and the reward is yours"

"Is there nothing else you can tell me about these guys?"

"The last time either of them were seen, the vanished into a forest not far from Clover. Good luck", with the turn of a corner, the figure vanished, leaving them alone.

Erza nodded, "It's settled, we're off for Clover"

* * *

Natsu groaned as he crawled off the train, "Never… again…"

Grey sighed, "Sheesh, could you at least show a little class, for once in your life?"

Erza smacked Grey on the back of the head, "Put your clothes back on, you moron!"

Lucy sighed, wondering if they would ever be capable of going anywhere without embarrassing themselves. Just before she said anything, a faint whisper filled her ear, "No… go away… turn back…"

She quickly spun around to find that there was nobody behind her but Happy, "You okay, Lucy? You look like you just saw a ghost"

She shook it off, "Nothing, I just thought I heard something… must've been the wind"

Natsu sniffed the air, "Hey, something's wrong… I smell something weird…"

Gray shivered for a second, "Something just sent a chill down my spine…"

Erza looked around, "I have the feeling we're being watched… everyone, stay on your toes"

After several hours of asking around with no results, Natsu sighed, "We're never gonna find this guy!"

Lucy was exhausted, "Ugh… doesn't anybody know where either of these guys are?"

Natsu tensed up, "Wait a sec… that smell from before… it's stronger now"

Lucy heard the voice in her ear once more, "Stop looking… there's nothing to find"

She decided enough was enough, "Who's there!?"

Natsu raised his nose, "It's coming from this way!"

Lucy followed Natsu into an ally, where a teenage boy with black hair and red eyes stood, turned away from them as he held his hands inside his pockets. He faced them with a raised eyebrow, "Can I help you?"

Lucy pointed at him, "You're the voice that's been in my head!"

"In your head?"

Natsu lit his hands, "I dunno what she's talking about, but if you're spying on us, I want answers, buddy!"

He seemed genuinely confused, "I don't know anything about spying, but if you want a fight… I can help you with that!", he grabbed an electric guitar off the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

Grey and Erza quickly caught up to them. Erza sighed, "I leave you alone for two seconds…"

"I'm not gonna duke it out here", the boy claimed as he pointed forward, "But I've got a job to do in five minutes, so I'll fight you in thirty outside of town. Stick around for the show if you want"

Lucy sighed, "I don't suppose you'd tell us if you'd met a guy named Light or one named Dust by any chance, would you?"

The boy looked shocked, "Where did you hear those names?!"

Grey stepped forward, "We're looking for them, we got a request that they be found, got any clue where we can find them?"

The boy looked away from them, "… Be at the town square in five minutes, and bring a talented music player with you"

Lucy nodded, "O-Okay"

The boy took off. Erza tilted her head, "And just where are we going to find a talented musician in five minutes?"

Lucy held up her keyring, "I got this"

* * *

Grey sighed as he looked at the stage from the back of the crowd, "I don't get why there are so many people here, the sign said the guy was an amateur player, right?"

Natsu shrugged his shoulders, "What do we care?"

The curtain flew open to reveal the boy they'd just seen, now dressed in black jeans and a small, black jacket. He looked calm as he placed his hands on the guitar, "It's nice to see you all here tonight, are you guys ready for a show?"

The crowd went nuts as he smiled. Erza raised an eyebrow, "What's the big deal? He's just one musician with one guitar"

The boy smiled as he placed his fingers on the strings, "Well then… LET'S ROCK!", he bared his fangs as his fingers flew faster than their eyes could keep up, stringing together amazing chords that shook the earth itself. Grey wasn't about to admit it, but he was hooked by the first chord, and every one after that just made him want to hear even more playing.

Fast as lightning and louder than thunder, Natsu was wrapped up in the music as he felt it surge through his body. Even Erza couldn't help but love the feeling the fast-paced song blared into her ears. The crowd was worked up into a frenzy when the boy played a rift that built up to a single, climatic note.

As he looked forward, his hair hung over his eyes, panting as the tangled mess blocked his vision. He smiled, "So, how was it?", the entire crowd burst into cheer. Erza had trouble suppressing her urge to cheer as violently as Grey and Natsu were. The boy smiled, "Thanks you, now normally, this would be where the show ends, but tonight, I have a little gift for you"

The crowd began to whisper, "A gift? Is he gonna play another song…? No way, he only plays one song a show, that's how he works"

"Tonight's encore, the first one of my career, is brought to you by none other than Fairy Tail. I'm just as excited as you guys to see how it turns out. Maybe I'll do more encores in the future if this goes well"

Happy flew over the crowd and landed on Natsu's head, "Hey guys, this guy rocks!"

Natsu gave him a serious look, "Is Lucy ready?"

"Yep!"

The boy waved his hand, "And now, I give you, Lyra, spirit of the lyre!"

Lyra smiled as she looked at the crowd, emerging from backstage, "Hey everybody! I hope you enjoy this song!"

The boy leaped off the stage, landing next to Natsu, "I hope this girl's as good as Lucy said, if not, this crowd's gonna wreck the stage. Again. And I told the local police you guys would pay for a new one"

Lyra began to strum a light tune as her she started singing gently, _"The dawn's dear light, found through the night, the warmth that once, was lost. The heart, in chain, now beats, again, repaid for what was cost. Come swift, dear bird, and please give me word, that it was all for naught. The sleepless nights, the endless frights, begone, the unholy lot._

_You left, with pain, tears hidden in the rain, but I still saw them fall. That near, and dear, and shaken with fear, hoping, to protect it all. The smile on your face, has now been erased, mine too, gone with the wind. Broken, and torn, and heavily worn, victory is hollow in the end._

_Sacrifice? Martyr for hope? The men, how they are blind. Tragedy. Loss beyond scope. That is what they'll find. Part the heavens, empty the sea, remove my breath from the air, unless you're here, by me. The world can burn, I do not care, make things horrid, make them fair. My heart, take it, it's useless to me, without that smile, I want so badly to see._

_The pain, t'was caused, by that bloody knife… cuts not the soldier, but his children and wife…"_

The previously rowdy crowd had been calmed by Lyra's voice. Even Natsu was calm enough to look at the ebony-haired boy, who had a tear slowly slipping from his eye. Natsu couldn't help but ask, "Dude, are you crying?"

The boy slowly lifted his fingers to the drop, and he stared at it with great shock, "… Meet me outside of town in ten minutes"

* * *

Lucy was vibrant after the concert was over, "Told you guys Lyra was good!"

Grey shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, that guy was pretty rockin with with that guitar"

Erza tapped her foot on the ground, "Where is he? He's late"

The boy with white hair dropped in from the air, "Sorry, had to ditch my fans"

Natsu's forehead was bulging, "So you had us wait an extra forty minutes?!"

Happy crossed his arms, "Yeah! You better have some fish!"

The boy tossed a huge bass to the cat, "Here. I heard you whining that you wanted one"

Happy smiled, "All is forgiven!"

"Back to the real point, you guys said someone was looking for Light and Dust. Who is this client?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders, "We don't know"

"Hm… I'm grateful you guys gave me such a great performance out there, but I'll need more than that to say I can trust you. Do you mind if I speak with that Lyra girl?"

Lucy held up the key, "No problem"

"Wait, you're a celestial wizard?!"

"What did you think I meant when I said Lyra was the spirit of the Lyre?"

"I thought that was just a stage name!"

"Why does it matter that I'm a celestial wizard?"

"… I've changed my mind"

Natsu slammed his fists together, "Then let me just convince you to change it again!"

"Sorry, but I won't lose to you!", the boy touched the bottom of his throat and ran his finger up it, then shouted insanely loud, "I'M GENE MAXIMUS, AND YOU AREN'T GETTING ANYTHING OUT OF ME!"

Natsu rushed forward, "We'll see about that! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

Natsu was stopped dead in his tracks as Maximus caught his fist in his bare hand, "A Fire Dragon Slayer? Never thought I'd meet one. BUT I WON'T HOLD BACK! SOUND DRAGON ROAR!"

Natsu flew backwards as a powerful sound wave beat him back. As he got up, he wiped his lip, "Sound dragon roar…? This guy's a dragon slayer?!"

Maximus flipped his hair back, "Can't keep it a secret forever"

Grey realized something, "And he just came from a concert filled with tons of screaming people,which means-"

Erza lowered her eyebrows, "He's at maximum strength"

Gene smiled, "Listen, just forget about this request! Go back home and find another job! I don't care how much you're being paid, this isn't worth it!"

Lucy stepped forward, "Why are you fighting us? We just want to help!"

"You stay back! I don't need or want your help! And neither does Dust or Light!"

Natsu put his fire out for a second, "I know that look, you're protecting your friend, aren't you?"

Maximus gritted his teeth, "Sound is more than what we hear, it's waves moving through the air! There isn't a person alive that doesn't make noise! Even the beating of your heart is fuel on my fire!", he sucked in some air, "SOUND DRAGON ROAR!"

As the wave blasted through the earth, Erza grabbed Natsu and dashed out of the way of it. She then drew her sword, "I do not wish to spend all day waiting for Natsu to defeat you. He can, but it'll take too long. Surrender now, or I will beat you myself"

"Bring it on! I don't care who you are, you're not getting anything out of me!"

Erza equipped her flying armor, "So be it"

Lucy watched as Erza began flying around him in a circle, "What's she doing?"

Happy smiled, "She's creating a vacuum around him, so that he won't be able to use his sound magic. Sound is a powerful wave of kinetic energy, but if there's no air for it to travel through, it's useless"

Lucy looked on as a whirlwind formed around Maximus, "Whoa! He doesn't stand a chance!"

Her claim was shattered as the whirlwind was blown apart, and Erza was sent flying into a tree. Erza stood up, "How…? How did you break the vacuum?!"

Maximus smiled, "Air in a vacuum is sucked in every direction. All I had to do was hold my breath and let it out in a roar while you flew around. The attack was going to hit you because it would fly in all directions. You aren't the first person to try to beat me using a vacuum"

Grey put his hands together, "Then how about this, Ice Maker: Lance!"

Maximus held his hand out and the lances shattered, "Ice is so fragile, especially when you can apply force on it from every direction at once. That's the power sound brings to the party! You can't beat me! Begone! SOUND DRAGON ROAR!"

Natsu jumped in front of Lucy, "I'll crush you before you dare lay a hand on Lucy!"

Maximus's voice lowered to normal as he stopped vibrating, "Did you just say… Lucy? Lucy Heartfilia?"

Lucy looked at him with confusion, "You know who I am?"

He hesitated, "… Prove it… prove to me that you're Lucy Heartfilia and I'll take you to Dust and Light"

Lucy waved her key, "Gate of the Golden Lion, Leo, open!"

Loke appeared before her, "How can I help you, Lucy?"

Maximus gasped, "Leo!"

Loke turned and gasped, "Maximus?! Is that you?!"

"Yeah, it's me! I thought you were gone forever!"

"Thanks to my new owner here, I was able to come back"

"… So the rumors are true… can I trust her to help Light?"

Loke nodded, "Of course you can! She can do it, no problem!"

"Thank you, Leo, it's good to see you again"

"Actually, it's Loke now! But it's good to see you, too!"

Maximus gave them a small bow and apologized, "I'm sorry, I thought that you were a very different celestial wizard. If I hurt any of you, please accept my honest apology, I had no idea"

Lucy raised her eyebrow, "No idea about what?"

Loke smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "That you were Lucy! See, Maximus doesn't trust most celestial wizards, and with good reason. But he can trust you, Lucy!"

"How do you know this guy, Loke?"

"It's a long story, but now is not the time for that! You need to follow him!"

Maximus nodded, "Come on, every second we waste here can't be recovered"

Loke smiled as his gate closed, "Good luck, Lucy!"

* * *

Maximus stopped running once they reached a small cave, "This is it"

Lucy panted, "Why did you... run so fast...?"

Erza crossed her arms, "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

Maximus held his hand up and pointed it at the cave, then his eyes went wide with shock, "Someone's inside the cave! This is bad!"

As he rushed inside, Natsu followed him quickly, "Finally! A fight!"

The ran until the reached a huge room where the roof had been blown away. On the ground laid a girl with purple hair, her armor cracked and her face bruised. in the center of it all was a huge lacrima, pulsing with black lightning. Maximus ran to the girl's side, "Charlotte! Agh!", Maximus was knocked away by a huge, black hand.

The man casting the hand was an old man with a twisted smile, "Keeping all this magic energy for yourself! What greedy little brats you are! Sorry, but this thing's mine now!"

Maximus rose to his feet and charged the old man, "You're gonna pay for what you did to Charlotte! I'm gonna make your head ring until the day you die!"

Just before Maximus could throw his fist, the old man lifted Charlotte's body in front of him, and then smacked Maximus away with his magic hand, "Sorry boy, but you don't have the guts to take me down, especially while I have your little friend here!"

Maximus groaned, "You coward! Fight me like a man!"

"Like a man? A man would save the girl! You don't have what it takes! I've seen you fight, and your control is terrible! You wouldn't dare risk this girl's life on an attack!"

Natsu lit his fists, "Then it looks like I'm up!"

"You sure about that, kid? I've got the best control of dark magic in the world, can you really get by me without hitting the girl?"

"Natsu, get back!", Maximus shoved Natsu out of the way as a huge, black fist slammed into Maximus's body.

"Looks like I get to finish this one off first! Bring it on, guitar boy!"

Maximus went at it with his all, trying to close the distance between the two of them while avoiding Charlotte at every turn. Right before he could land a hit on the old man, he was met with another black fist. The old man started laughing, "Wow! This is even easier than when I took the little girly down! Her magic was so pathetic!"

Maximus rose to his feet, as the ground beneath him began to tremble, "You shut your mouth..."

"Oh, did I hit a soft spot? Is this weakling so important to you? She's hardly worth the effort to crush"

Maximus looked up as his eyes began forming rings, his skin turned a deep black and his teeth began to glow a bright crimson. He ran his fingers over his throat, and bars of light began to shine on his skin, "This is your last chance to surrender... or else"

The old man laughed, "Or what? I can crush this runt before you can even take a step"

His eyes displaying his pure rage, the entire cave began trembling with his scream, "YOU'RE DEAD WHERE YOU STAND! DRAGON FORCE, DEEP BASS BEAT-DOWN!" he held his hands up and a wave visibly shook the air as it passed by the old man's head.

He scoffed, "Is that the best you can do?"

Maximus smiled, "The best thing about a low bass beat?", he asked as he flew forward, "IT REVERBERATES!"

The wave had bounced back and caught the old man right on the back of his head, after that, Maximus took the opening to smash his fist into the guy's face with all his might, dispersing the dark fists and catching Charlotte before she could hit the ground. Maximus propped her up against the wall, then himself. Grey sighed, "That was impressive, but it looks like he put it all into that last wave"

Maximus held onto Charlotte tightly, "I've got you, Charlotte... don't worry... I'll keep you safe"

The violet-haired girl began to stir, "G... Gene? Is that you?"

"Who else has a voice like this? I'm... so sorry I wasn't here for you... damn, I'm an idiot..."

"No, you had to. If you didn't you'd have died"

Natsu raised his eyebrow, "Died?"

Maximus frowned, "I only have enough money to feed two people. I have to rely on the sound of the people at my concerts' cheering and the noise to survive. I can live off sound, but it takes a lot of it..."

As he fainted, Charlotte caught him in her arms, "Poor Gene... who are you people? Have you come to steal the lacrima as well?"

Lucy waved her hands, "No, we came looking for Light and Dust. Maximus brought us here"

"I see... then you must be Lucy. The lacrima... that's were he is"

"What?"

"Light is inside of that lacrima... you'll have to break it to wake him up. Normally, Gene could do it... but not right now"

Natsu lit his fists, "Alright! Let's smash it up!", he charged at it full speed, only to be thrown back to the ground and shocked by the black lightning, "OW! OW! OW! OW! What the hell was that?!"

"The lightning is an anti-magic barrier. If you want to destroy it, you'll have to do it without magic"

"Why didn't you say that before I charged it?!"

"You didn't let me finish"

Erza pushed Natsu aside, "I've got this"

With a single swing, she shattered the rock into a thousand pieces. Charlotte gasped in awe, "I never thought anyone other than Gene could break it..."

From the lacrima fell a teenage boy with glowing, white hair and closed eyes. Upon closer inspection, Grey found that he was asleep, "What's this guy's deal? He just fell twenty feet and now he's asleep?"

Lucy pointed at him with her eyes bulging, "Says the guy with nothing on but his underwear!"

"Who...?", they all turned to see the boy with white hair had opened his pitch-black eyes and was now floating in the air, "Who is the one responsible for hurting Maximus and Charlotte?!"

Before anyone else could react, Natus stepped up, "Are you Light?"

Natsu's question was answered with an enormous blast of light right to his face, "I am Light! And you'll pay for what you've done!"

Natsu grunted, "I didn't hurt your friends!"

"Lies! I can feel the celestial wizard in the room! You came to take my power, just like the rest... I don't care if you want me or not, but if you hurt my friends, I'll turn you into dust!"

Erza jumped forward in her armor, "We are telling the truth! I do not wish to fight you, but I will do so if that's what it takes to open your eyes!"

Light blasted her back just as easily as he did Natsu, "Silence! You brought harm upon my house, and now you will face my wrath!"

He demonstrated his power with an intense barrage of beams, knocking Grey aside and missing Lucy by just a little bit, "Please! We just want to help you!"

"Help me?! You attack those dear to me, and now you say you came to help?! I've had enough of your lies!"

"ENOUGH!"

Light trembled as his power faded away, and his feet touched the ground. Tears began to pool at the edge of his eyes, "N-No... it can't be..."

The sound of the voice had come from a girl in a maid outfit with pink hair, "Light, that's enough"

"V-... Virgo"


	2. Chapter 2

Light was standing motionless, his shock holding him in place, "Virgo..."

Everyone else felt shocked when Virgo smacked him hard across the face, "Lucy and her friends came here to help you, you idiot. So stop attacking them"

Light ignored the pain and pulled her in tight, "Virgo...", his tears fell over her shoulder, "I thought that... I would never see you again..."

Virgo hugged him tightly too, while tears fell from her eyes, "I know... I was worried, too"

Lucy raised her eyebrow, "Virgo? You know this guy?"

Virgo nodded, "I was the one who requested that you find him"

"Wait... how are you going to pay us the reward?!"

Lucy's question was side-tracked as Light fell to the floor, clutching his chest, "No... not now..."

Virgo kneeled by his side, "Your rage forced you to use star cycle magic again, didn't it?"

Erza raised an eyebrow as she stood, "Star cycle magic?"

"It's based off the life cycle of a star. Right now, he's going into black hole mode, if we don't stop it, he could collapse in on himself, and vanish forever"

Light began shaking as his skin turned black, his face twisted into a depiction of agony, "Aaaaaaaagh! No!", using every muscle in his body at once, his magic energy level was raised, "Not here, not now!"

"He's fighting off the transformation!"

His skin began to regain color, "Not... after... I found you... I won't... give in!"

He rose to his feet as black lightning began to swirl around his body. Virgo had to step back, "Light, no!"

His voice portrayed his pain as his eyes began glowing with a bright light, "It's... not enough... but I won't let it end like this!"

Maximus rose to his feet and saw what was going on, "Oh, no! He's used up too much magic energy! Unless we can replenish it fast, he's going to explode!"

His veins popping from his forehead, Light looked to Maximus, "Maximus... get out of here. Go! I'll be outside in a second, just go!"

Maximus did as he was told, carrying the unconscious Charlotte in his arms. Natsu held up his fists, "If he needs power, I'll pump my flames into his body with all I've got!"

"No! Just go! I'll handle this! You all just run for it!"

"No way! I'm not leaving you to die!"

Virgo knocked Natsu out, handing his unconscious body over to Grey, "Take him, I will handle this"

Light shouted, "Go, Virgo! I can handle this!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can! I won't let my magic hurt anyone else!"

"What about me?! If you keep this up, your energy with just vaporize itself! Are you really going to leave me again?! After everything?!"

"I'll survive the blast!"

"Yeah, but in what condition?! A mindless shell?!", Virgo was shouting through her warm tears, "Is that what you want to leave me with...? More meaningless suffering? Am I supposed to keep up this stupid smile and serve every master as best I can because that's the only place I can find any reason to live?! You don't get to die, dammit! Because I need you!"

His aura of light vanished as his skin turned black again, "Okay... so what's the plan?"

"Princess!", Virgo looked to Lucy, "Close my gate while I'm holding Light! The celestial world will restore his power, only you can do it, princess!"

Lucy held her hand up, "A-Alright!"

Virgo grabbed Light tightly, "Now, princess!"

As she waved the key, Lucy felt a huge wave of exhaustion sweep over her. Light had become so dense that moving him was like lifting a two hundred pound marble. It took all she had, so she had to summon them back the second she could lift her arm again. "Open, gate of the Maiden!"

* * *

Maximus jerked awake, "Light!"

He was met with the gentle grip of Charlotte, who was smiling gently, "It's okay, Gene, they did it, they restored his magic"

He smiled, "Really?!"

"Do I look dead to you?", Maximus turned to see Light, standing next to the bed, looking absolutely normal with a smile and deep blue eyes, "How are you?"

Maximus hugged him, "Oh, thank god! Light! You didn't die! You're back to normal!"

Light smiled, "That's not all"

"What?"

Light put his hand on Maximus's shoulder, "I found Virgo!"

"Actually, I found him", Virgo smiled as she walked up from behind him, still dawning her maid outfit, "It wasn't easy, either"

Maximus hugged her, "I was so sure that Everlue would never let you go! I was so worried about you!"

She held him gently, "It's all thanks to my Princess, Lucy Heartfilia, I owe her a lot"

Lucy waved her hands, "No, no, you've been a great partner, and I'm proud to say I work with you"

"That reminds me. None of you are in a guild, are you?"

Light scoffed, "Trapping yourself inside a lacrima to preserve any energy you have left so that you don't turn to stardust doesn't exactly give me much free time..."

Virgo smiled, "Then all of you, please join Fairy Tail. It would be very good if you all came"

Maximus held his thumb up, "No problem! It'll be fun to work with a fire dragon slayer!"

Natsu held his fist up, "Alright! Another dragon slayer! Now I'm really fired up for a good job!"

Erza smacked the back of his head, "How about you wait until he's better?"

Virgo held up a tray full of food, "I heard you hadn't been eating. I thought I told you to eat right"

Maximus sweated, "Sorry, but I wasn't sure what we might have to do to look for you, so I didn't join any guilds, for the sake of being able to have the freedom to look for you"

She shoved a spoon into his mouth, "Shut up. I told you that you should be able to eat your own food. I also said I was going to stop feeding you once you learned to feed yourself. But, since you were defending Charlotte, I'll forgive you"

Grey raised an eyebrow, "So, Light, how do you know the celestial spirits?"

Light rubbed his chin, "That's a hard question... I guess you could say I grew up with them"

"Say what?"

Virgo turned away from Maximus to look at them, "Light is not your average wizard. He wasn't born on earth. His mother was thrown through a black hole right before he was born, his birth happened at the same time as a star. The explosion that would've given birth to the star instead crafted Light's body. His magic is that of a star because that is what he is: a star, given form to descend from the heavens and fight for what is right. Being well-known in the form of star magic, it was only natural he meet the spirits that were so close to his heart"

"So... you've known him all his life?"

"No, he has known me for all of mine"

"Huh?"

"I was born a spirit of the stars shortly after Light. He is a year older than me"

Lucy's mind started drawing questions like it was setting fire to a pen,_ "How old is this guy?! For that matter, how old is Virgo?! Oh, my god, do they love each other?! How did they meet a dragon slayer?! Why hasn't Virgo ever brought this up before?!"_

Virgo noticed her confusion, "The reason I have never mentioned this is because I was unaware of Light's whereabouts. It wasn't until recently that I had found a lock on the lacrima which was holding him. As for Gene, we found him after he had been left by his dragon foster father. One day, in his adolescence, Gene came home with a girl slung over his back. The girl was beaten half to death and was too sick to move, he had linked their hearts using his sound magic just to get her heart beating. The girl was Charlotte"

Lucy nodded, "O-Okay"

Light smiled, "If Virgo calls you 'Princess', you must be very special", he took a small bow, "Thank you, your highness, you brought me back the love of my life and freed me from the prison of my own body. If there's ever anything I can do for you, I'm at your beck and call"

"Um... thanks? But please don't call me 'your highness'..."

"Alright. Lucy, if I may have a word"

Lucy was curious as Light pulled her in tight, "What?"

He whispered carefully into her ear, "About Virgo... has she... asked you to do anything strange? Since you've met her, that is"

"Um... she keeps asking if I'm going to punish her... even if she didn't do anything wrong"

"Hm... I see, I see...", he smiled, "So she was still thinking of me..."

"What?"

Light's face turned red, "Nothing! Nothing at all, just forget about it!"

"Uh... okay"

Virgo stood behind them creepily, "Just what are you telling my princess, Light?"

He held his hands up, "Nothing! I was asking her something!"

"Oh, is that all? If he is misbehaving, let me know, princess, I will deal with him"

Light shuddered, "I won't, Virgo, I promise!"

Charlotte smiled, "It's good to see the two of you back together after being apart so long"

Virgo gave a small smile, something even Lucy hadn't seen before, "It is a good thing. I am happy to see all of you again"

Natsu sighed, "And here I was hoping for a good fight..."

Maximus smiled at him, "Hey! Don't count me out yet! I'll be back by tomorrow! Just you watch!"

Charlotte sweated, "Why don't you eat first?"

* * *

Natsu kicked the guild door open, "We're back!"

Mirajane smiled, "Welcome back guys! Oh, are these people new recruits?"

Light smiled, "My name is light, I'm at your service!"

Charlotte smiled warmly, "Pleasure to meet you, my name is Charlotte"

Maximus looked around the guild in awe, "This place is awesome! Hey! Where are the dragon slayers?!"

Gajeel jumped down to the floor, "Ya got something to say to me, kid?"

Maximus smiled, "Yeah! I'm the newest dragon slayer in Fairy Tail, so let's have a match sometime!"

Gajeel scoffed, "Please, like you're worth my time"

"Don't trash my abilities, or I'll make you eat your words, literally"

Gajeel smiled, "You got spunk, kid, I can respect that. Ever faced an iron dragon slayer?"

"I'm dying to see what they're made of"

Natsu was confused, "Um... they're made of iron, duh"

Gajeel ignored Natsu, "Then how about right now?"

"Sorry, but I gotta become an official member first"

Wendy ran to their position, "Can you guys not fight?"

Maximus smiled, "Sorry, I just wanted to see what the other dragon slayers are like here. Wait, you must be Wendy!"

"How could you tell?"

"I can smell a dragon slayer from a mile away!"

Natsu rubbed his chin, "Come to think of it... I couldn't smell you out before, why was that?"

Charlotte stepped forward, "That would be my magic. It's called DNA matrix magic"

"DNA matrix?"

"Yeah. Everything living is made of cells that use DNA to tell them how to work. Using my magic, I can re-write the DNA to do certain things, like wire Gene's cells not to smell funny"

"Whoa! That's so cool!"

Happy jumped with excitement, "Can you wire Natsu to smell better?!"

Charlotte sighed, "Sorry, it's a complex magic that takes time to do. The only DNA I can alter quickly is my own, and even then, I have to be careful. One wrong step, and I could mess up my whole body"

Light breathed in the air, "Ah! It's good to smell air again! Alright, so where do we sign up?!"

Makarov jumped down, "Hello! I'm the master of this here guild, the name's Makarov! How can I help you?"

Light held his thumb up, "I'd like to join Fairy Tail!"

Makarov smiled, "It's good to see such young recruits!"

Light smiled, "Actually, I'm over six million years old!"

Makarov was at a loss, "Six... million...?"

"I use star cycle magic! So I'll live as long as any star out there!"

"Star cycle?! You're Stardust, from the east continent, aren't you?!"

"Sorry, but I don't go by that name anymore. I'm Light now"

"I see. Welcome to the guild, Light! If there's anything you need, just let me know!"

"Actually, if you could help me find a place to stay, that would be great"

Mirajane interjected, "I know a place!"

Elfman stood before him, "Who's this? You a man or what?"

Light laughed, "If I'm not, someone's been playing a real sick joke on me!"

"Alright, then let's fight!"

"A real man knows how to speak with his fists, but a better man can also make his words just as effective. I'll fight you later"

Elfman raised his fists, "You backing down?!"

Light knocked him out with a single blow to the face, "Fine, that good enough?"

Elfman groaned, "All right, you're a real man..."

Lucy sighed, "At least Charlotte seems normal enough..."

Charlotte was smiling and laughing with Wendy when a pair of guys walked up to her, "Wow! You look stunning! Care to go out with me sometime?"

For a second, she remained still, but then her head did a one eighty spin after they had tried out a few more pick up lines. She even spoke with a demonic voice, "Not intrested"

The two guys ran as fast as they could, leaving Lucy with a sigh, "So much for normal..."

Maximus smiled, "Alright! I got my stamp!", Maximus bared the purple mark proudly on his chest, "Now I'm a fairy tale wizard!"

Charlotte smiled as she held up her left hand with the matching black symbol, "Me too!"

Light held up his now pink fist, "All right!"

Natsu smiled, "Wow, now we have four dragon slayers in the guild!"

Maximus held his fists up with excitement, "Oh yeah! I can feel the beat of this guild's heart, and it's loud 'n clear!"

Charlotte smacked the back of his head, "Don't let the beat carry you away, Gene, you still aren't fully recovered!"

He sighed, "I know, I'm sorry"

Cana looked at Charlotte, "Hey, purple hair! You into fortune telling?"

"Not really, but why not?"

Cana held up the deck, "Just a quick one, here, pull the top card"

Charlotte did, then blushed very intensely, "I knew it!"

Cana looked at the back of it, "What is it?"

"Tomorrow... he'll remember!"

Lucy looked at the card, "The lover?"

Charlotte put the card back into the deck and shuffled it, "What lover?! I didn't see one! Nope!"

"Hm... it's Maximus, isn't it?"

Her face turned twelve shades of red, "W-What?! No! W-Why would you say that?!"

_"Because it's insanely obvious...?"_, Lucy sweated.

Cana scoffed, "Puppy love... you should try to be serious about it", she then proceeded to knock back another barrel of alcohol.

Charlotte smiled with confidence, "I will!"

Light overlooked the guild, "I think that we'll do just fine here"

* * *

Lucy sighed as she opened her door, _"Finally, now I can just relax and rest..."_

Her thought was interrupted as she heard a crash and Natsu shout, "What are you doing here?!"

Lucy rushed into her bedroom, where Natsu, Maximus, Charlotte, and Light were all waiting, "Why are all of you people in my home?!"

Light smiled, "Makarov told me I could rest here until I found a place! Besides, Virgo lives here!"

"So that means you can break in without asking?!"

"I tried to surprise you by cleaning up and cooking, but then Natsu freaked out and started shooting fire"

"So it's a collaborate effort, destroying my home..."

Charlotte looked at her with a sad look, "I'm sorry! We didn't mean it..."

"It's fine, this happens a lot. But I can't have three extra people living in my house..."

Maximus scratched the back of his head, "Hey, Lucy? Could I talk to Lyra? I wanted to see if she'd mind doing another concert with me"

Lucy sighed, "Lyra only works three days a month. I don't think she'd show up"

"Please?! Come on, this is really important!"

"I'll try, Gate of the Lyre, Lyra, open!"

Lyra surprisingly showed up, "Hey, Lucy! I got a day off, so I can work for you today!"

Light smiled, "Lyra! It's good to see you!"

Lyra smiled, "Light?! Is that you?"

"The one and only!"

Maximus smiled, "Hi, I'm Maximus!"

Lyra smiled, "Oh! Light told me about you! He said you might want to play a song together!"

Charlotte's expression darkened as Maximus smiled, "Yeah! Do you mind if I ask to work with you on a song for a while?"

Charlotte tried to sound bright, "Can I help, Gene?"

Maximus's face was drained of color, "No. Sorry"

Charlotte was able to hide her shock and rage until the two of them went out the door, "Gene..."

Lucy was terrified by her evil glare, "H-Hey, are you alright?"

Her eyes were full of absolute rage, "I'm fine!"

As she stormed off, Light smiled, "She'll be fine, she just needs to cool off. So Lucy, could you and Natsu do me a favor?"

Natsu crossed his arms, "What is it?"

Happy perked up, "Is it fishing?!"

Light sweated, "Not exactly. I want you two to take Charlotte on a job tomorrow, and keep her away from the guild until sunset. Think you could do that?"

Lucy raised her eyebrow, "Why?"

"Tomorrow is Charlotte's birthday, and I want to make sure it's really special, because she spent last year watching over me with Maximus"

"That's sad..."

"She wasn't unhappy, but she deserves better, so this year, I'm gonna make sure she gets the best birthday ever!"

Natsu smiled, "You got it, Light! We'll keep her distracted until then!"

Lucy sweated, "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, will she even want to go with us?"

Light smiled, "I got that covered, just make sure you take her on the job on the bottom left side of the request board, she won't be able to resist!"

* * *

Lucy stared at the job, "He can't be serious…"

Natsu was jumping with excitement, "This is gonna be the greatest job ever!"

Grey walked over, "What is it?"

Lucy handed him the flier, "Here"

Grey raised an eyebrow as he read it, "Need wizard chefs, preferably good ones. Pay will be decided upon by skills of the chef. Please note, cake is a must"

Erza popped up from behind them, "What kind of cake?"

Lucy flipped, "That was fast!"

Grey looked closely, "It doesn't say. Maybe you make your own"

Erza nodded, "We will accept this job. Any complaints?"

"Um… can I come with you?", Charlotte nervously asked, "I really like cooking…"

Natsu held his thumb up, "Why not? The more, the merrier!"

"Really? Thank you!"

"Oh yeah, and today's your birthday, right? We'll all make you cakes!"

Charlotte looked surprised, "… Um… I don't know what to say… I forgot about that… how did you know?"

"Light told us, so why don't we all go on this job together?"

She looked a little sad, "Yeah… together"

Lucy saw how sad she was, "Charlotte, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing"

Gajeel was shouting from another part of the guild, "Where is that damn sound dragon slayer?! I want to kick is ass!"

Charlotte frowned, the Lucy tried to cheer her up, "C'mon, let's go cook!"

* * *

Lucy stared at the tiny woman that was wearing no make-up, probably because it would've fallen into her wrinkles. Her tiny, beady eyes and her little outfit made her look very wise, but Lucy wondered if the old woman was strong enough to pick up an egg.

The little woman looked up at Lucy, "You are wizards, are you not?"

"Yes, ma'am"

"Very good, we will start cooking soon, but before we do, I would like to ask you all something, why do you want to cook?"

Natsu smiled, "Cause it's fun!"

Grey smirked, "Why not?"

Erza crossed her arms, "It's the job"

Lucy shrugged, "I don't know"

Charlotte perked up, "To make the people I love happy"

The old woman smiled through her wrinkles, then opened her eyes to look at Charlotte, "You, young miss. Tell me, are you any good at cooking?"

"I'll always do my best, but it's been so long since I've been able to cook…"

The old woman took her hand, "Come on, as long as your heart is in it, you'll always de great. I'll help you. As for the rest of you, I have a few recipes I want you to handle, think you can do it?"

Natsu held his fist up, "You just leave it to me!"

"Good enthusiasm! Here, for you"

Natsu looked at the page, "You got it!"

Grey looked at his page, "I'm on it"

Erza looked at her page, "Very well"

The old woman just stared at Lucy, "Hm… young lady, would you care to assist me and this girl here with our cooking?"

Lucy smiled, "Sure!"

"Good, because we're going to need a little help to make this"

Lucy looked at the paper, "A cake?"

"It's only the size of a man's fist, but if we make it correctly, there will be no dish in the world that can compare to it"

Charlotte smiled, "Then let's get started!"

* * *

Having slaved away cooking for several hours, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Natsu looked at his creation: a huge pineapple upside-down cake that had been cooked to perfection. Grey smiled as he looked at his perfectly chilled ice cream cake. Erza was tempted to eat the strawberry cake she had cut to perfection, but she resisted the temptation.

The old woman looked over the three creations, all of them big enough to sit on their own tables, with Natsu's being the biggest. She cut a slice of each and put them on plates for testing. She tried Natsu's first, "Hm… not bad. You must've cooked it thoroughly, to have it this soft. The juices that evaporated near the bottom can be tasted in the little bubbles of air…"

Happy sighed, "All he did was try to burn it with his flames…"

Natsu shook his fist, "Who asked you?!"

The woman then tried a bite of Grey's cake, "Hm… a bit tough, but very creamy. You can almost taste it melt slowly in your mouth, like a snowflake"

Grey smiled as Natsu scoffed at him, "No duh, ice is the only thing you can do"

Grey's forehead popped, "What was that?"

"Put some clothes on, you frozen flasher!"

"What did you call me, you hotheaded firesucker?!"

She ignored them as she tried a bite of Erza's cake, "A bit sweet, but the strawberries are cut to just the right size to balance it out. Well done"

Erza smiled, "Thank you. And what of Charlotte and Lucy?"

Charlotte walked out of the tiny woman's house, holding a little, blue cake the size of her fist. Lucy was holding another one of the same size, but it was pure white, "It's a little smaller than the picture…"

Charlotte smiled, "That's because we strayed from the recipe a little bit, but I'm sure it's great!"

Natsu lifted his nose, "I don't know what that is, but it smells awesome!"

Charlotte held her cake tight, "No! I'm saving this one! You can try the white one, it's closer to the recipe than this one, anyway"

Natsu tried a small bite of the cake, not even enough to cover the tip of the fork. The second he put it in his mouth, he dropped it and fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes, "... This is... so good..."

Grey picked up a piece, "C'mon, you big baby, how good could it be?", Grey shortly joined him, "Too good..."

Erza noticed that Grey was putting his shirt on and stepped over to the small cake, "Hm... I will taste a bite"

Lucy watched as Erza joined the other two, "Are they serious?"

Happy took a bite off the fork, "Hm... it's okay, but I still like fish better!"

Lucy looked at the cake on the end of her fork, "Well, you're a cat, what do you know?", Lucy bit down on it, "Wow... this is awesome!"

All four of them held their forks up to go for another bite when they all realized that the plate was empty, as the old woman smiled, "It's even better the way Charlotte makes it, you can tell from one, good bite. I wonder how good that cake she did with her own, unique style tastes"

They locked their eyes on the tiny blue cake like predators, staring intensely at their pray. Charlotte frowned and held it away from them, "Not a chance! I'm saving this cake!"

Erza stepped forward with drool starting to fall from her lip, "Just a bite..."

The little old woman cracked her walking stick on Erza's head, then everyone else's, "Shame on you! She created this masterpiece with all of her heart! She poured her very soul into it! She created this for a purpose, how dare any of you attempt to take that from her!"

Erza shook off the temptation, "You are right, I'm sorry, Charlotte"

Grey scratched his head, "Sorry for losing my cool"

Natsu ran over to Lucy, "Please tell me you remember that recipe!"

Lucy started dropping tears, "No! I just did what Charlotte told me to do! I don't remember anything!"

The old woman smiled, "I hope that you get that to whoever you made it for, they must be very special to you"

Charlotte smiled, "I will, thank you for giving us this job"

She waved her hand, "Not at all. As a culinary master, it does my heart good to see those with magic cook again. You see, when they put their magic into their cooking, it's like pulling their dishes right out of their hearts! They make new spins on old recipes, most of the time, for the better! Ah... I'm glad that I did this, all of you should go on now, you've done me a grand service. Oh! And here, by selling what you've made, I can easily make this back"

Lucy looked at the money, "Holy crap, this is a million jewels!"

"I'll make it back easily. Here, young lady, this is for that bite of the wonderful cake"

Charlotte shook her head, "No, I couldn't, it was really my pleasure to cook, I can't accept money for it"

"Young lady, I have been cooking for over seventy years, and I have never tasted a cake as good as yours. The only thing that you've left me with is a great satisfaction and a jealousy for whoever gets that wonderful blue cake all to themselves. You must love them very much"

Charlotte smiled, "I... can't say that"

"Ah, I see what's going on here. You must have the heart-faker curse"

Natsu scratched his head, "Heart-faker curse?"

"It is a forbidden spell, one that was supposed to be destroyed by the magic council long ago. I heard a witch was put on trial for using it on a defenseless little girl, but I never dreamed I would meet that girl"

"So, what kind of curse is it?"

"A dark curse, that the user cannot speak of or admit to having. If the cursed ever speaks the words 'I love', anything that follows becomes the target of dark magic surrounding her. Maybe I can't force you to take money, but I was once a spell-breaker. Dark magic was my specialty, why don't you let me take a look and see if I can't find a way to break it?"

Charlotte looked extremely excited, "Really?! You can-...", her voice seemed to stop working until she calmed down, "If I _did_ have a curse like that, which I don't, a person such as myself would be very delighted to have a curse... such as the one you were talking about... lifted"

The old woman smiled, "Then you go on, I will prepare to break the curse. Once I am ready, I will come find your guild. Go on, that lucky young man needs to eat up that cake before I find a way to get it from you!"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't say you love me, at least not until tonight"

"... I won't. I'll wait"

"That'a girl. With any luck, I'll see you tonight"

Lucy could see the excitement on Charlotte's face, "I wish you the best of luck!"

Lucy looked at the cake, "Not to rain on your parade, but we're gonna have to protect that cake from anything with a sense of smell all the way back to the guild..."

Charlotte's eyes twinkled with determination, "Nothing is gonna stop me from getting this cake to Maximus!"

Lucy sweated, _"I'm not sure which is going to be a bigger problem, monsters... or Natsu, Grey, and Erza..."_


End file.
